Distractions

Though her memory of Rosebury was vague, Emily was finally able to guide the way to the café. The café was nothing but a small little building from the outside, located in the middle of two taller buildings. The light from the sun reflected off of the cafe's windows but couldn't hide the welcoming light that came from inside the building. From where she stood with Renard on the street, she could see the tables and a couple of students from the school here and there, talking over cups of coffee and food. Looking over at Renard, she caught a glance of their hands; reminding her that they had been holding hands since they left the school together. "Well..this is the café. Want to go in?" Emily asked him.

Renard gazed through the windows of the café once the two had reached it. Even from outside, the place looked cozy, despite the people that milled about inside. It was someplace to eat, however, and for that he couldn't complain. As he looked inside, he was still very-much aware that he was still holding hands with Emily, but it wasn't a topic he really wanted to bring up at the moment. "Yes," he replied, smiling at her. "It looks like a nice place, at least."

Emily returned his smile with one of her own, giving his hand a small squeeze as she started to move towards the café. As she opened the door leading into the café, a burst of sound reached her ears; the clink of glasses being lifted up and sat down on tables, the scraping of chairs on the ground, the muffled sound of multiple conversations going on at once.. Emily gave Renard an apologetic look as they walked in. "I'm sorry if it's too loud for you.." she told him.

Renard tried to control his body as a small blush appeared on his cheeks, no doubt due to their continued handholding, so he tried desperately to expel it as they entered the café. When Emily apologized for the sound, he had to tune into the building to really hear what was going on: he honestly hadn't even noticed most of the sounds that she must've. "Oh, it's fine," he laughed, dismissing it with a wave of his free hand. "Let's just get a table." He proceeded then to just tune out the sounds around them, just willfully ignoring the low scrapes and conversations.

Emily nodded at his suggestion, quickly turning her attention to the café in front of her. After scanning the tables in front of her, she finally caught sight of one that wasn't close to the middle of the crowd of students filling the café; it was more to the edge. "We can sit over there if you want." Emily said, pointing to the table with her free hand. As she waited for Renards response, she tried her hardest to keep her focus on the area around her and not their hands.

Renard's gaze followed Emily's hand until it rested upon a table in the corner, neatly tucked away from the other people in the café: it was perfect. Nodding in approval, he said "Sure; looks fine to me," before gently squeezing her hand - slightly semi-conciously - and leading her to the table. Once there, he pulled out his chair and sat down, their hand-holding now being stretched to just their fingers. "Guess we'll just need menus now," he murmured softly, half to himself as he took in the café once again.

As if overhearing what Renard said, a peppy looking young waitress bounced over to their table, two menus in hand. She placed them down in front of the two, a bright welcoming smile on her face. "Just call me back over when you're ready, okay?" the girl said before moving away, probably to a different table.

Emily glanced down at the menu in front of her, her eyes scanning through the different foods and drinks. Tea, coffee, cakes... she thought to herself, contemplating on what to get. Emily glanced up at Renard, a questioning look in her eyes. "What do you want to get?"

Renard smiled and thanked the waitress, then peered at the menu, lost in thought for a moment. When he realized that Emily was addressing him, he quickly turned his attention to her. "Oh, I'm just gonna have a water," he replied softly, slowly returning his gaze to the menu in order to skim for something to eat. Some people decried him as a picky eater, but he quite preferred the term 'selective', and he would have to find something to fit his tastes. "I'm sure I'll find something to eat before she gets back."

Emily nodded slightly, going back to look at her menu. The only item on the list that appealed to her was a lemon tea, but everything else she say made her feel queasy. Why did I agree to this.. she thought to herself, frowning as she glanced at the food.

Running a finger across each menu page, Renard finally found something he would actually eat. Looking up to tell Emily, he noticed her frown and tipped his head to the side in curiosity. "What's wrong, Emily?" he asked, wondering if she would respond. Maybe it was something personal she didn't want to delve into, but his concern took over his trepidations.

She glanced up at the sound of her name, momentarily confused. "Oh, nothing." she assured Renard, giving him a small smile. She nodded towards the menu in front of him. "Did you uh.. manage to find something?" she asked him, her voice soft.

"Oh, yeah." Renard glanced back at the menu, although his brow was still furrowed with slight worry, as if he didn't completely believe Emily's reassurances. "Uh, just a burger, I guess," he finished, pointing at an item on the menu that was upside-down from Emily's point of view. "Anything you want?"

Glancing at the menu in front of her, she gave him a small shrug. "Just a tea, I guess.." Emily mumbled, her eyes once again scanning the food section of the menu. Try as she might, Emily just couldn't bring herself to order a food item. Nothing looked good to her.

Renard decided this time to let the topic go, just nodding, and eventually the waitress returned. Renard turned to her, gave her a soft smile, and ordered the water and burger like he had told Emily. After that, he handed his menu to the waitress and turned towards Emily, waiting for her to order too.

"Just a lemon tea." Emily told the waitress, also handing her the menu. The waitress nodded eagerly, quickly scribbling down their orders on her note pad. With a promise to be back in a moment with their drinks and food, the waitress walked back to the back of the café where the kitchen area was. After the waitress has left, Emily turned her attention back on Renard, "So.." she said softly, not knowing what to say. She wasn't much good at starting conversations, and it showed right now.